Related Articles

No home landscape is complete without a blooming container garden. Containers are versatile -- you can place them on porches, decks or even small apartment balconies. They make it possible for areas with poor soil to have color and can be changed out as the seasons change or even moved indoors when the weather cools. To make your container garden last, choose flowers that will bloom as long as possible.

Rule of Three

According to Fine Gardening, the best way to organize a container garden is to use a "thriller" plant in the middle, "filler" plants around the middle plant and "spiller" plants to cascade over the edges. These may be perennials, annuals or a combination of both. Whichever plants you choose, think about how they will look as the season progresses. Some plants drop their flowers or leaves as they age or bloom only once for a couple of weeks or even just a few days. If you want your container's attractiveness to last, choose plants that are continuous bloomers.

Thriller Plants

Thriller plants take center stage in a container, so choose one that will have the longest-lasting blooms if you don't want to switch it out with another plant midway through the season. The shellflower (Chelone lyonii) is a little-known plant that packs a powerful punch. About 4 feet tall, with pretty pink, shell-like flowers, this sturdy plant will bloom all season long in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. For something a little different, try a hibiscus plant, which works well in a container, according to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus) is a showy standout that will anchor your container garden. Hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9, it blooms in full sun or part shade, with flowers that will last from summer to fall.

Filler Flowers

Home gardeners often anchor containers with perennials and then fill in the spaces with annual flowers that they can change as the seasons change. However, that doesn't mean all fillers must be annuals. One perennial in particular blooms all summer long and makes an excellent filler flower with its traditional blooms and lacy foliage. The Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum "Alaska") is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9, enjoys full sun and make an attractive cut flower if you don't mind taking a few from your container. For a filler that tolerates shade, try impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), which bloom nonstop until the first frost of fall, come in a wide range of colors and require very little care. Although they are grown most often as annuals, they are hardy outdoors in USDA zones 10 and 11.

Spiller Choices

Trailing plants add texture and volume to a container. Flowers that trail and spill over the edges make a showy display, and many also feature interesting foliage. Petunias (Petunia spp.) are prized for their nonstop blooming, which continues from spring until the first frost of autumn. Many are trailing varieties that look stunning cascading from a container. Petunias often are grown as annuals, but they are hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11, and thrive in full sun or part shade. Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is another excellent choice for cascading color. Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9, it blooms from spring through frost as long as it doesn't get too hot -- and often, shearing it back a bit if it does will stimulate a new flush of blooms.